Saintly Saturday - St. Rita of Cascia
Rita was born in Italy in 1381. On the day after her birth, a swarm of bees surrounded her. Her family took this as a sign that she was destined to be virtuous with a great devotion to God.
She wanted to join a convent from a young age, but was instead married by arrangement at the age of twelve to Paolo Mancini. This arrangement was for safety & security. Paolo was a cruel man with a violent temper. He pursued other women & had many enemies.
Rita, through her prayers & devotion, influenced Paolo to become a better man. However, due to conflicts & feuding, he was betrayed by an ally & killed. Publically, Rita forgave her husband's murderer, but Paolo's brother was still angry & wanted to avenge his brother's death. He encouraged Rita & Paolo's aons to join the feud. Following their uncle's lead, they became like the cruel man their father once was.
Rita did not want her boys to lose their souls to the anger & retaliation. Through much prayer on her behalf, both boys died of dysentery before that could happen.
Now alone, Rita attempted to enter the Augustinian order at the Saint Mary Magdalene Convent in Cascia. She was denied due to fears of her husband's association in the feudings. She had forgiven, but other family members had not & some of the rival family members were in the convent If she could somehow mend the wounds caused by the feuding, she would be permitted to enter.
Praying for the intercession of her patron saints (St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Nicholas of Tolentine, & St. John the Baptist), she went to both sides, asking them to put aside their differences. Through a written agreement & peaceful embraces, the two families ended their feud. Rita was finally permitted to enter the convent at the age of 36.
She developed a great devotion to the Passion of Christ. At the age of 61, she prayed to suffer as He had. She was blessed with a forehead wound, as if she had been pierced herself by the crown of thorns. This wound did not heal & remained until her death.
Bedridden in 1457 with tuberculosis, she asked a cousin to bring her a rose from the family's garden. Not expecting to find any because it was January, her cousin did find a single rose in bloom. Rita died a few months later, on May 22, 1457. She was buried at the Basilica of Cascia. Later, her body was found to be incorrupt. She is now at the St. Rita Shrine in Cascia.
Pope Leo XXIII canonized her on May 24, 1900. She joins St. Jude as the patron of impossible causes. She's also the patron of difficult marriages & parenthood. We celebrate her feast day on May 22.
St. Rita, Pray for Us!
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